1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a timer-recording controller for use in a programmed recording apparatus performing a timer-recording or a programmed recording of a video signal which will be broadcast later. More specifically, the present invention relates to a timer-recording controller for controlling a timer-recording apparatus used to record an audio signal, a video signal, or a data signal being broadcast.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, a plan is being prepared to start a service of transmitting program list information composed of information showing contents of individual programs scheduled to be broadcast (hereinafter referred to as program information), in the multiplexed form, during the vertical retrace line interval by utilizing teletext. The use of this service allows users to obtain program information such as broadcast station, date, starting time, ending time, genre, and the like of broadcast-scheduled programs by decoding the program list information multiplexed with broadcast wave on the receiving side. Accordingly, users can automatically record desired programs (hereinafter referred to as timer recording) by storing the program information in advance and setting recording apparatus to start recording the desired programs at the beginning of broadcast (hereinafter referred to as scheduling of a timer-recording or programming of a timer-recording) on the basis of the stored program information.
In the program information, broadcasting time information representing the broadcasting time of programs includes broadcast starting time and broadcast ending time. When a timer-recording is programmed by utilizing the broadcasting time information, a preceding program started prior to the broadcast starting time of the program scheduled to be recorded (hereinafter referred to as a timer-recording scheduled program) may be prolonged over its broadcast ending time, as is often the case with sports game programs, for example.
When a program started prior to the timer-recording scheduled program (hereinafter referred to as a preceding program) is thus prolonged over the broadcast ending time, the timer-recording scheduled program is started after a time delay corresponding to the extension of the broadcasting time. That is to say, the broadcasting time period of the timer-recording scheduled program is shifted by the time for which the preceding program was prolonged.
However, with such recording apparatus as shown above, the scheduled recording starting time and the scheduled recording ending time of the timer-recording scheduled program are not updated in accordance with an extension of preceding programs. As a result, if a preceding program is prolonged as in the case of a sports game program, the timer-recording scheduled program is not recorded in the period of the extension.
An object of the present invention is to provide a timer-recording controller which can, when scheduling a timer-recording of a program, prolong the recording ending time of the timer-recording scheduled program for a given time in accordance with a decision of a user when a program broadcast prior to the timer-recording scheduled program may possibly be prolonged over its original broadcast ending time.